


A pragmatic romance.

by inflowers



Category: Suits (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-21
Updated: 2014-09-21
Packaged: 2018-02-18 05:56:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2337665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inflowers/pseuds/inflowers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mike never expected romance. It's Harvey goddamn Specter, he's not expecting anything other than exactly who Harvey is. Pragmatic, almost to a fault.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A pragmatic romance.

The first time Harvey and Mike had sex, it wasn’t romantic. In fact, looking back on it Mike is almost certain it was the least romantic sexual experience he's ever had. That's not to say that it wasn't (by far) the best sex he's ever had, but he's not kidding himself about how hurried and rough it was.   

It was good sex: it just wasn't romantic sex.

And the next morning, when Harvey rolled over and grunted "if you get up and make me breakfast, I'll blow you in the shower" wasn't exactly romantic either. But Mike had chuckled softly, swung his feet onto the hardwood floor and padded out into the kitchen anyway. Because how could anyone refuse such an offer? 

Mike never expected romance. It's Harvey goddamn Specter, he's not expecting anything other than exactly who Harvey is. Pragmatic, almost to a fault.

Which is why he's suspicious when he arrives at work one morning to a single rose laying across his keyboard. There's nothing attached to it, no note or any indication who it's from which makes Mike even more suspicious. Surely it couldn't have come from Harvey, right? Harvey doesn't do romance. Especially not with Mike - especially not when they have no idea what they are to each other (it's a conversation they've managed to avoid in the eight weeks it's been since they started 'whatever this is’). It wouldn't make any sense for Harvey to suddenly start wooing him one day, because as far as Mike is concerned he's been Harvey's since day one. Maybe day one of being 'them,' but probably more like day one of their meeting.

Mike’s more than a little confused but he takes the rose and puts it underneath his computer monitor so he can see it all day. He doesn’t bring it up with Harvey during the day (because that would be strictly against their ‘not at work’ rule) and Harvey doesn’t mention it in the car back to his place. Their evening is as normal as it usually is, with Harvey cooking a pasta dish while Mike searches for a movie. They eat, they talk about their day and they go to bed but there’s no mention of the rose and Mike doesn’t bring it up because he’s still not sure if it was from Harvey.

It stays on Mike’s desk for a few more days until it starts wilting and he throws it out. He wishes there had been some kind of note attached so he could have something to keep, but after a week he completely forgets it ever happened.

Until something else happens.

He’s working on submissions for the Clinton case when he hears his email chime. It’s probably just another forward from one of the other associates, Mike muses. Clicking the icon he realizes it’s from Harvey, and his heart skips a beat when he reads over the short one-liner.

_You make me really happy._

His fingers pause over the keyboard, not sure how to respond. What could he possibly say that wouldn’t be violating their code of conduct – their mandatory ‘never at work’ rule that Harvey so strenuously impressed on Mike their first night together? He considers not responding at all, but in the end he knows he has to say something. He can’t ignore it, and before he even realizes his fingers have typed a response and hit send.

_You make me really happy too._

Over the course of the next few weeks, more and more romantic things keep happening to Mike. There are more roses left on his keyboard, sometimes chocolates appear on his desk, and every few days he’d get an email from Harvey. Usually it’s one or two lines, telling Mike how amazing he is. Sometimes it’s quotes from movies, sometimes it’s a poem (always from one of the classics) and sometimes it says nothing but “I can’t stop thinking about you.” And neither can Mike, but he never brings it up. If Harvey wanted to talk about it, Harvey would say something.

+

“Are we ever going to talk about it?” Mike finally cracks late one night, his head resting on Harvey’s chest. Harvey stops carding his fingers through Mike’s hair and nudges him to sit up.   
  
“Talk about what?” He asks curiously, raising one eyebrow in Mike’s direction.

“You know, the stuff.”

“I’m so glad we don’t pay you to be eloquent.” Harvey snorts, yawning deeply. “Seriously, what are you talking about?”

“The cutesy stuff you’ve been doing. It’s been going on for weeks now and you haven’t mentioned it.”

“What?” Harvey’s face contorts in confusion. “First of all, I have never done anything cutesy in my entire life. And secondly, what the hell are you talking about?”

“Someone has been leaving roses and chocolate and presents on my desk.” Mike is almost as confused as Harvey. “It has to be you, though. I mean – the emails…”

“What emails?” Harvey asks, still not sure what’s happening. 

Mike grabs his cell phone off the bedside table and quickly logs into his work email. It only takes him a second to find them, and he’s embarrassed to admit he has them all saved in their own folder.   
  
“Look.” Mike says, handing the phone over to Harvey who skims over the messages before handing the phone back to him.  
  
“Mike, I didn’t send those…”

“Harvey, if you’re trying to be funny-” 

“I’m not, I promise.” Harvey sobers quickly. “I promise, I didn’t send those.”

“But if they weren’t from you, who else has access to your em-” He stops short as Harvey’s head snaps up and their eyes meet.

“Donna.” They say in unison, realization dawning on them.  
  
“I will kill her.” Harvey stands quickly, pulling on a pair of sweatpants and an old Harvard hoodie. “I will actually murder her and I’ll make it look like an accident.”  
  
“How does she even know about us?” Mike says, still sitting cross-legged in the mess of sheets on Harvey’s bed. “Why would she do this?”

“I told her I was seeing someone.” Harvey says, moving to his dresser and pulling out a pair of socks. “She was going to to find out anyway and I thought getting ahead of her was a better idea.”

“Okay.” Mike agrees, because it’s the truth. “But how did she know it was me? And why would she do this?”

It takes Harvey a few seconds as he thinks about it, but Mike sees something in him change and he knows that Harvey has remembered something.   
  
“I asked for her advice.” He says, finally stopping his frantic search for shoes. “I guess she put two and two together and ended up with five and thought she could help. She’s Donna, she really does know everything.”

“What did you ask her for advice on?”

“Doesn’t matter.” Harvey mumbles, focusing his attention anywhere but on Mike.

“Like shit it doesn’t matter, she’s been screwing with me for weeks and I want to know if she at least had reason to.” Mike says, exasperatedly. He’s annoyed and angry with Donna and more than a little embarrassed that he’s been walking on cloud nine for the past few weeks thinking Harvey was falling in love with him, only to find out it was never him at all.

“That’s fair.” Harvey finally admits, turning to face Mike. “I asked her advice on how to talk to someone-”

“Meaning me,” Mike interjects before the look on Harvey’s face tells him to be quiet and listen.

“Yes, you. She didn’t know that though, although in hindsight he probably did. Shit, Mike. It’s been a long time since I’ve done… you know, whatever the hell this is. And I just…” Harvey laughs to himself at how absurd it was, a grown man asking his assistant for advice on his love life. “I asked her advice on how to talk to you about what this is.”

“What did she tell you?” Mike asks, putting the issue of ‘what this actually is’ to one side for the minute.

“She told me to man up and talk to you, or someone else would.” Harvey laughs again. “I thought she meant that someone else would step in, I didn’t think she meant someone else would talk to you. It does explain why she’s been asking me every few days if I’ve done it yet.”

Mike takes a second to let the last fifteen bizarre minutes sink in, before he coughs gently and averts his eyes away from Harvey. 

“So why haven’t you?”

“Why haven’t I, what?”   
  
“Talked to me about it. Donna started screwing with me weeks and weeks ago, which means you must have spoken to her about it just after we first started ‘whatever this is.’” Mike uses the air quotes for effect. “Why couldn’t you just speak to me about it?”

“I didn’t know what you wanted.” Harvey shrugs. “I guess I thought by putting it off for as long as I could I was protecting myself. I didn’t want this to end if you decided you wanted something different to me.” It’s probably the most Harvey has ever revealed about his feelings and Mike is more than a little moved by it.

“You were never going to know what I wanted without asking, Harvey.” Mike says, shuffling across the bed and straddling Harvey’s lap. “What do you want?”

“You.” Harvey answers; like it’s the easiest question he’s ever been asked. “In a real way, though. Not just a ‘I’m screwing my subordinate’ way.”

“You’re an idiot.” Mike smiles, before kissing Harvey soundly on the lips. “It’s never just been about the sex for me. I’ve been yours since the beginning, Harvey.” 

And Harvey god damn Specter can’t wipe the grin off his face.

+ 

The first thing Harvey does when he gets to work the next morning is change the password to his email.

It takes Donna five minutes to realize she’s been locked out, and she’s not so stupid that she doesn’t know why.

“Listen,” She starts, moving to stand in front of Harvey’s desk. “I know you’re probably pissed. But it had to be done.”

“Had to be done?” Harvey snorts, “Do you realize how badly that could have gone?”  
  
“It didn’t though, did it?” She smirks, and god damn her for being right. “You finally had the talk.”

“Not that it’s any of your business, but yes.” Harvey sighs, still not looking her in the eye because she knows him better than anyone and she’ll know he’s not nearly as pissed about this as he should be.

“Good for you, Harvey.” She smiles, and he finally looks up at her and sees her eyes are glistening with barely-there tears. “I’m really happy for you. I know he makes you happy… and I know you think sometimes that you don’t deserve it, but you do.”

He pauses for a second, watches as she nods and wipes at her face before making her way to the door. 

“Donna.” He calls to her and she turns around, as graceful as ever. “Thank you.”   
  
“You’re so welcome, Harvey.”

“Another thing.” He says just before she grabs hold of the door. “How did you know it was him?”

“Donna knows everything.” She replies without looking back, and Harvey can only laugh and shake his head as he turns back to his computer.

He knows he’ll have to give Donna his new password eventually. She’s the only person he really trusts to manage his schedule, and there’s no point having an executive assistant if she can’t assist him. But before he does, he sends an email that’s all him, no Donna.

**To:** Mike Ross  
 **From:** Harvey Specter  
 **Subject:** She wasn’t wrong

You do make me really happy, just so you know.


End file.
